Potato-digging machine.



r. BATBMAN. POTATO DIGGING MAOBINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1906.

, 1 5 PaLtqantd` 001'.. 13, 1908.

wlm'ssfs.- uvm/ron MEM? E at Z drawing, in which UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE, FRANK B-ATEMAN, OF GRENLOCH, NEW JERSEY, @NOE TO BATEMANMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GRENLOOH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEWJERSEY.

)OTATO-DIGGING HAGHIN E.

sl'ieiiimitionl of Lema Patent.

Patented Oct. 13, 1908.

Application lod July 3, 1908. Serial No. 324,669.

roots which would otherwise interfere with the operation of the diggingand separatin mechanism of the machine. This object attain in 'themanner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to Figure 1 is aperspective View of siicient potato-difging machine toillustrate theapplication o my invention thereto; Fi 2 is aside elevation of themachine; Fig. 3 1s a lan view of part of the same; Fig. /4 is a ilrontelevation of certain of the elements of the machine, and Fig. 5 is asectional plan view of other parts of the machine;

I havefillustrated my invention .as applied to a machine of thetype'shown 1n the patent of J.- S. Robbins, No. 771,800, dated Oct. 4th,

1904, but the'invention is 'applicable to other typres of potato diggersas well.

he rigid frame 1' of the machine is mounted upon traction wheels 2,which sup-- lplyfthe power for operating those elements of the machinewhich are not intended to be operated by hand, said frame 1 beingprovided at the forward end with means for the attachment of a draftteam whereby it is drawn over the ground in the direction ofl the row ofpotatoes.

Mounted upon vthe axle of` the machine isV u swinging` frame 3 whichcarries the shovellikc digging plow 4 and'utrough 5 into which thcpotatoes and other excavated ma criail arc directed by said plow, thebase oi' said trough being formed ,by rows of rot-ating disks whichserve-to convey the material from the front to the rear end of thetrough.

The upper end of the swinging frame ,3 is connected by a link 7 to onearm of a lever 9, which is pivotal] mounted upon the centralsentfsupporting am 10 of the ma chine, the other arm of said leverterminatngwithin easy reach of the attendant who ;occupies the seat11,`and who, by pro er manipulation of the lever, can raise the i gingmechanism into the elevated or inopthe accompanying faxial -line of themachi.ne.

contour of the surface of the erative position-shown by full lines inFig;

lshown by dotted lines in said figure. The' leverl 9 is also connectedby a link,or a 'pair yoi' links, 12 (a pair being shown in thep'resltheir vertical. movement.

Rotatably mounted upon the lower ends of the bars 16 are a .pairfoncavo-convex -disks 20, whichfak the 'roller 21'wl1erewith a machine.of rthis type is usually e uipped, said disks being divergently dis seor located in planes oblique to the .ldn'gitudinal The cutting edges ofsaid disks, it will be noted, are so arranged with respect to the plowthat the vines 'are cut thereby at points Within the lateral limit-s ofsaid lpw.

The liniks 12 are joined to ether at their 2 or can lower it into theoperative position outer ends, andI each of said inks has a series ofopenings 23, any registering pair soi these openings receiving a pin 24,whose adjustment determines the amount of lost ino-V tion in theconnection between the links and the lever 13.

The links are confined verticallyto the lever 13, between certain limitsdetermined byv projecting pins 25 on said lever. The disks 20 aretherefore always raised to the saine point by the full retraction of thelever 9, but on the forward movement of said lever 9, the disks,..whildepressed to a cer-- tain osition de endent on'the location of' the pin24, are ree to descend to a greater -extent,'because of theirweight andthat of the parts .carrying the same, and they can thereforefollow, in ameasure, the uneven ground, when. the potatoes are planted in hi 1S,this free- .dom of movement of the disks being dependent upon the amountof lost motion between links.

The positive movements of thelever 13 are effected simultaneously withthe ,like movements ofthe digging' ploy;l f1, the ad the pin 24 and theend connections of -the Aaus justment of the lever 9, to cause said plowto dig a deep or shallow furrow, being determlned by engagement of alocking bolt on the lever. with one or other of the. notches of a locklnquadrant 22 on the fixed frame Vof the mac ine.

eripheralportions of the disks are so s arp that said disks will act tosever The vines, roots or other ve etable growths with which they engageas t e machine is drawn forward, and which have been pressed down ontothe surface of the action of the central roller 21.in order to insureeffective cutting action of the disks, the several portions, owing tothe diverging position of the disks 20 being thrown outwardly onoppositesides ofthe machine,in order to clear the digging and conveyingmechanism, s o that they cannot interfere with the performance, by thelatter, of its proper function. p

I claim y c 1. The combination, in a potato digging machine, of avertically adjustable digging plow, a pair of vertically adjustable vinecutters mounted in advance of said plow, one' on each side of the same,and mechanism for simultaneously raising and lowering the plow and thecutters, said mechanism includlng a-n adjustable element wherebymovement of the cutters independently of the plow-is permitted.

2. The combination, in a potato digging machine, of the dig ingmechanism, a pair of vertically adjusta ,le vine cutters mounted inadvance of said mechanism, one oneach side of the same, a lever foradjusting said vine cutters, and a lost motion connection between saidlever and the vine cutters.

3. The combination, in a potato digging machine, of the diggingmechanism, a pair of vertically adjustable vine cutters mounted inadvance of said mechanism, one on each side of the same, a lever foradjusting said vine cutters, a lo'st motion connection betweensaid-lever and the vine cutters, and means for varying the extent ofsaid lost motion.

4. The combination, in a potato digging machine, of the diggingmechanismV having ajvertica'lly adjustable digging plow a pair. ofvertically adjustable vine cutters inadvance ot' said digging mechanism,one on each side of the same, a plow-and-cutter-.adjusting lever, and avariable lost mot-ion connection betweensaid lever andthe cutters.

5. The combination, in' a potato digging machine, of the diggingmechanism, a pair.

of vertically ad just-able vine'cuttcrs mounted in advance ot' saiddigging mechanism, one on each side of the same, an operating leverforsaid cutters, a transmitting lever located between' the operatinglever and the cutters and having projecting pins, one or more linksconnecting the two levers, and passino between said pins, and stopsbetween whicl the transmitting lever plays, one of said stops beingadjustable.

6. The combination, in a potato digging machine, of the (liggingnn'chanism, a pair of \'ine`c1|tters in aflvamfe of said diggingmechanism, one on each side of the same,

and an interposedjroller for holding down the vines for theaction otsaldv cuttprs.

In testimony whereof, I have slgned my name to this specificatiomin thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. i FRANK BATEMAN. VVitn'esses':

FRANK H. BELL, J. M. EBERT.

